Ball retrieving device

ABSTRACT

A device for retrieving objects such as golf balls from a ground area such as a driving range area and conveying them to a receptacle ready for reuse. The retriever device is mobile over the area and a V-shaped member extending from the device funnels the balls to the mouth of a conveyor having a series of rotating paddles which move the balls along an inclined conveyor to a point of collection. In the preferred embodiment a washer having a rotating agitator collects the balls from the conveyor to wash them.

United States Patent [72] Inventors RayA.Richardson Tucson, Ariz.; HelenM. Richardson (fiduciary ol the estate of said Ray A. Richardson) I 2| IAppl. No. 774,779

I22] Filed Nov. 12, 1968 I45] Patented M8132, 1971 541 mu, nam'r-zvmcDEVICE 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 134/115, 2l4/356, 56/328 [51] Int. Cl 360p 1/38 [50] FieldSearch 2 l4/356; 56/328, 327; l98/7BL; I34" 15 56] Reler'ences UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,482,383 9/1949 Traverso 56/328 2,643,754 6/1953 Doak56/328X 2,817,405 12/1957 Pearson... 56/328X 3,362,551 l/l968 Shoemaker214/356 Primary Examiner-Albert .l. Makay Attorney-Gregory J. NelsonABSTRACT: A device for retrieving objects such as golf balls from aground area such as a driving range area and conveying them to areceptacle ready for reuse. The retriever device is mobile over the areaand a V-shaped member extending from the device funnels the balls to themouth of a conveyor having a series of rotating paddles which move theballs along an inclined conveyor to a point of collection. In thepreferred embodiment a washer having a rotating agitator collects theballs from the conveyor to wash them.

PATENTEDHAR 2 3.666.893

SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR. RAY A. RICHARDSON PATENTEU MAR 2|97| 3566.893

' sum 2 or 2 INVENTOR. RAY A. RICHARDSON RNEY BALL RETVENG DEVNIE Thepresent invention pertains to a device for gathering and retrievingballs from a field or ground area.

More specifically, the invention relates to a mobile towed orself-propelled device for gathering and retrieving golf balls and likeobjects from an area and delivering them to a point of collection.

in a further aspect, the invention relates to a retriever of the abovetype incorporating a washing device adapted to clean the retrievedballs.

The efficient operation of a golf driving range requires the speedyretrieval of balls from'the range for reuse. Further, these balls mustbe collected at the closing of the range to protect from weather andpossible theft. Additionally, the balls used on the range must beoccasionally cleaned to improve their life and usefulness.

Ball retrievers of various design are available. Most of these areusually large pieces of equipment involving rotating cages or wheelsthat gather up the balls which then must be removed for use. The priorart designs are expensive and are exceedingly bulky and difiicult tomaneuver about the field by the towing vehicle. Further, if the ballsare in need of washing, they must be returned to the club house andwashed, requiring an additional time-consuming step.

It would be highly advantageous, therefore, to provide a simplifieddevice for retrieval of gold balls golf balls and like objects.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention toprovide a simplifiedand efficient ball retriever. I

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ball retrieverhaving a transfer conveyor fed by a gathering device that carries theretrieved objects to a point of collection.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ballretriever which includes provision for washing the retrieved balls.

Still another object is to provide a ball retriever which may beconveniently and readily maneuvered about the field to collect balls.

A more specific object is to provide means on a ball retriever forgathering balls out of depressions in the surface and feeding them to aconveying device.

These and other, further, and more specific objects and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the artfrom the following detailed description of the invention taken inconjunction with the drawings in which:

MG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the ball retrieverand washer constructed in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention.

P10. 2 is a detail plan view, partly broken away, of the presentinvention.

F16. 3 is a side elevation view, partly broken away, particularlyillustrating the conveyor of my device in greater detail.

F 16. d is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the conveyor and theconveyor paddles in operation.

P16. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the hinge members that actto eject balls out of ground depressions.

Briefly in accordance with the present invention, the retriever ismobile, either towable or self-propelled and is provided with agathering member extending outwardly in the direction of forward travelof the retriever. The gatherer funnels the balls into a conveyor rampwhich cooperates with whirling paddles that move the balls up the rampwhere they impinge on a deflector plate and drop into the collectormember which may be a tank equipped with an agitator and filled withwater or some cleansing agent.

Turning now to the drawings, the retriever unit is generally designatedas 1b and includes three main units: The ball gatherer 11, retriever 12,and collector 13. The retriever 12 is supported by a frame 14 which hasa generally rectangular horizontal base 15 with upwardly extendingmembers 16 secured to the rear of the frame. Wheels 17 and 18 aremounted in conventional manner on front and rear frame mounted axles 19and 20 to support the retriever 12 for movement. Although I have shownonly three wheels, it will be obvious that four would serve equallywell. Aconveyor ramp 21 is inclined upwardly from just above thegroundnear front axle 19 to the rear where it is supported at its upper end bythe upper ends of frame members 16. The bottom or floor of the ramp 21is shown as being. comprised of a series of parallel spaced apartstringers 22 running from the bottom to the top of the ramp which assistin guiding the balls in orderly fashion along the conveyor. Thetop ofthe ramp opens to form a point of collection 23. The ramp is enclosed byside frame members 24 and a plurality of longitudinally running members25 which form a top. A deflector cage or unit 26 angularly interceptsthe ramp 21 to define a downward opening at the point of collection 2QThe lowermost end of the ramp is defined by the bottom, sides, and top,as a generally rectangular opening 27 which forms the entrance to theconveyor ramp 21.

Several paddles 30, 31, 32, 33, are regularly spaced apart along theinterior length of ramp 20 and are sized to snugly rotate therein.Paddles 31, 32, and 33, are rotative about shafts 34 secured in bearingblocks 35 on the sidewall 24 of ramp 21. Lowermost paddle 30 is mounteddirectly on front axle 19 for clockwise rotation with forward movementof the retriever. The remaining paddles 31, 32, and 33, are all drivenby a belt and pulley arrangement from axle 19. As best seen in FIG. 2,paddle 31 is driven from pulley 41) also on axle 19 outboard of itsbearingblock belt 41, and an inner sheave 43 of pulley 42. The outersheave 44 of pulley 42 is drivingly connected to outer sheave 45 ofpulley 46 through belt 47. In a similar manner, paddle 33 is belt drivenby inner sheave 48, belt 49, and pulley 50. It can be seen that withthis drive arrangement, all paddles rotate about their respective shaftsin the same direction, clockwise during forward movement from therotation of front axle 19. The positioning and spacing of the paddleswithin the ramp is such that the outer edge 51 of each paddle barelyclears the ramp and the outer edges of successive paddles clear eachother during rotation. I have found that for best results, the paddlesshould be of rubber, plastic, or other resilient material.

The gathering member 11 is mounted on the front of the retriever 12 andincludes two outwardly extending members 60 and 61 which are joined tothe retriever on either side of front opening 27 to ride just above thesurface. The members 60 and 61 form a general V-shape and are securedfor strength to the retriever by tie rod 63 extending from the top 23 ofthe retriever to crossbar support 64 located at the outer extremity ofthe V. Tie rod 63 is adjustable to provide some takeup in the collector.To further assist in gathering the balls, hinged members 65, as seen inFlGS. 1 and 5, are pivotally affixed to the inside of members 60 and 61and drop into low spots in the field and force the balls into a positionto be funneled into mouth 26 of the ramp by collector 11. The hingedmembers 65 are pivotal about horizontal shafts 66 extending inwardlyfrom members 61) and 61. Members 65 are of a length to allow them toextend below the bottom of members 6t) and 61. The L-shaped extension 68of coil spring 67 acts against the rear of the hinge to bias the hingeto a vertical position.

The washing device 13 is shown as a tub 711 towably affixed, by a drawbar not shown, to conveyor 12 so as to receive balls ejected fromdeflector 26 at the top of the conveyor. The tub 70 is generallyrectangular, being somewhat longer than wider to provide for receptionof balls at the front end. Tub 70 has wheels 71 mounted on axle 72 inconventional manner. Agitator 73 includes a circular drive ring 75 whichis mounted for horizontal rotation by a vertical axle 76 in journal 77located in the bottom of the tub. Drive ring 75 is circular and extendsperipherally outward to contact wheel 7 1 which is frictionally drivenby wheel 71 on one side of tub 70. To provide further rotativeassistance for the drive ring, two additional drive wheels can beprovided on the side of the tub opposite wheel 74. Paddles 76 dependinto tub 76 from ring 75' to agitate and move the balls about.Obviously, drive ring 75 could be gear driven, as by a bevel geararrangement, off of axle 72. For convenience of removal of the washedballs, agitator 73 can be removably mounted in a journal on the bottomof the tub. To prevent splashing and loss of the washing liquid, a cover79 having a handle for ease of removal is shown on drive ring 75.

OPERATION The device is towed through a tow bar 85 by a gasoline orelectric golf cart or other vehicle. Tub 70 of the washer has alreadybeen filled with a suitable liquid cleansing agent.

The ball retriever is pulled across, for example, a driving range. Loosebails are gathered and directed to the rear of V- shaped collector dueto its shape and movement. Balls lodged in low spots or depressions arescooped or kicked by members 65 so that they are in a position to beengaged by the collector members 60 and 61 and funneled rearwardly tothe retriever 7.2. The balls reach mouth 26 of the retriever where frontpaddle 30 is rotating clockwise and engages the balls to propel themupwardly along ramp 20. The spaced apart stringer guides the balls alongthe ramp. As the balls pass the zone of influence of paddle 30, they arepicked up by paddle 31 which further acts to propel the balls along theramp. The successive action of the paddles move the balls to the top ofthe ramp where they hit deflector 25 and drop downwardly into the frontportion of tub 70. The action of the rotating agitator ring 75 moves theballs about to give them a good thorough cleansing. After a sufiicientnumber of balls are gathered and washed, the agitator 75 can be removedand the balls placed in baskets ready for use. For ease, the tub couldbe provided with a perforated lining which could be lifted out as aunit, leaving the water in the tub, to make easier collection of theballs.

When the liquid cleansing agent becomes dirty or much sediment hascollected, the tub can be drained and refilled.

Obviously, if desired, the washtub '70 could be replaced with any typeof collecting container if washing is not necessary. This is just oneexample of the versatility of the present invention.

Various other changes and modifications in the device herein chosen forpurposes of illustration in the drawings will readily occur to personshaving ordinary skill in the art. To the extent that such modificationsand changes do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they areintended to be included in the scope thereof, which is not limited tothe embodiment specifically illustrated in the drawings but only by ajust and fair interpretation of the claims.

Having clearly described the invention and thereby enabling thoseskilled in the art to construct and use its principles,

lclaim:

Z. A ball retriever for collecting balls and similar objects lying on afield area comprising:

a. a frame member mobile over the ground area;

b. conveying means on said frame adapted to convey the balls to a pointof discharge, said conveying means including at least one rotativepaddle adapted to propel said balls from a receiving end on saidconveying means to said point of discharge;

c. gathering means on said frame and movable therewith for gatheringsaid balls from the ground area and introducing them to the conveyormeans, said gathering means including means adopted to engage the groundfor ejecting balls out of depressions in the ground; and

d. receptacle means on said frame member adapted to receive the ballsfrom the discharge of said conveying means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said receptacle is a tub removablyattached to said frame member.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said tub is provided with means forwashing the balls received therein.

4. A ball retriever for collecting balls lying on a field area as itmoves over the ground area comprising comprising:

a. a mobile frame member having front and rear axles with wheels mountedthereon; b. a conveyor trough having a bottom and upstanding sidewa ls,said conveyor being rearwardly inclined having a lower receiving end andan upper discharge end;

c. paddle means mounted within the confines of said trough,

said paddle means being rotative about a shaft;

d. drive means for rotating said paddles;

e. two gathering members forming a general V-shape outwardly from eachsaid trough sidewalls and adapted to gather and funnel balls to thereceiving end of the conveyor;

f. means on said gathering members for ejecting balls out of depressionsin the ground; and

g. a mobile receiving tank towably mounted to said frame to receiveballs from the discharge of the conveyor.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said tank is provided with agitatormeans frictionally driven.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for ejecting balls out ofdepressions comprise a biased hinged member extending inwardly from saidgathering members and being spring biased in the direction of forwardtravel.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said conveyor trough bottom iscomprised of a series of parallel spaced apart stringers which assist inthe orderly transfer of the balls along the trough.

8. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said drive means includes a drivepulley on said front axle, pulley means associated with each paddleshaft, and belt means interconnecting said drive pulley to said paddlepulley whereby said paddles are synchronously rotated as the ballretriever moves over the field area.

1. A ball retriever for collecting balls and similar objects lying on afield area comprising: a. a frame member mobile over the ground area; b.conveying means on said frame adapted to convey the balls to a point ofdischarge, said conveying means including at least one rotative paddleadapted to propel said balls from a receiving end on said conveyingmeans to said point of discharge; c. gathering means on said frame andmovable therewith for gathering said balls from the ground area andintroducing them to the conveyor means, said gathering means includingmeans adopted to engage the ground for ejecting balls out of depressionsin the ground; and d. receptacle means on said frame member adapted toreceive the balls from the discharge of said conveying means.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said receptacle is a tub removablyattached to said frame member.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein saidtub is provided with means for washing the balls received therein.
 4. Aball retriever for collecting balls lying on a field area as it movesover the ground area comprising comprising: a. a mobile frame memberhaving front and rear axles with wheels mounted thereon; b. a conveyortrough having a bottom and upstanding sidewalls, said conveyor beingrearwardly inclined having a lower receiving end and an upper dischargeend; c. paddle means mounted within the confines of said trough, saidpaddle means being rotative about a shaft; d. drive means for rotatingsaid paddles; e. two gathering members forming a general V-shapeoutwardly from each said trough sidewalls and adapted to gather andfunnel balls to the receiving end of the conveyor; f. means on saidgathering members for ejecting balls out of depressions in the ground;and g. a mobile receiving tank towably mounted to said frame to receiveballs from the discharge of the conveyor.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4wherein said tank is provided with agitator means frictionally driven.6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for ejecting balls out ofdepressions comprise a biased hinged member extending inwardly from saidgathering members and being spring biased in the direction of forwardtravel.
 7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said conveyor trough bottomis comprised of a series of parallel spaced apart stringers which assistin the orderly transfer of the balls along the trough.
 8. The apparatusof claim 4 wherein said drive means includes a drive pulley on saidfront axle, pulley means associated with each paddle shaft, and beltmeans interconnecting said drive pulley to said paddle pulley wherebysaid paddles are synchronously rotated as the ball retriever moves overthe field area.